The APEC business travel card is now open to Chinese citizens employed by foreign and joint venture enterprises in the Zhongguancun Science Park. The Beijing Municipality Foreign Affairs Office and Zhongguancun Science Park Administrative Committee announced the news on March 14.

Approved by the Department of Consular Affairs of Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Beijing Municipal Government expands the eligibility of card applicants and simplifies application procedures. Beforehand, only Chinese citizens working for state owned enterprises and Chinese-based private enterprises had permission to apply for the cards.

"The card is only for business purposes," said Li Baochun, director of the Entry & Exit Department of the Beijing Municipality Foreign Affairs Office, "Within three years, cardholders with valid passports can enter twenty APEC countries including Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Australia at any time and stay as long as two months each time."

Chinese citizens from private enterprises, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan-owned enterprises, joint-venture enterprises and foreign enterprise in Zhongguancun can send applications to their subpark administration committees.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Tom McGregor